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Thunder and Claws
A warriors fanfic by Wolfy :) MATURE WARNING: some violence BriarClan is thriving. Prey is plentiful, weather is good. A large bunch of kits is expected. But when LightningStar dies without appointing a deputy, the role is expected to go to one of her three children; cocky, battle-hungry Blazefall, skittish but intelligent Mistsong, and the unreadable Hawkgrasp. Their differing campaigns have broken BriarClan into fractions. When a young medicine cat by the name of Ebonyclaw receives a broken vision, fear and denial overwhelms the clan. A charismatic warrior thrust into the middle of the conflict. An average apprentice sick of being ignored. A popular medicine cat turned social pariah. Where could the plot lead these unlikely allies? Allegiances Medicine Cats: Silverstripe - ancient she-cat with silver fur Ebonyclaw - black she-cat Warriors: Ashwood Apprentice: Thrushpaw - gray speckled tom Blackslash Darkwind Apprentice: Coalpaw - gray-black NB cat Blazefall - coal-black tom with blue eyes Mistsong - gray-black she-cat Apprentice: Deerpaw - brown and white speckled she-cat Hawkgrasp - dark gray she-cat with callous blue eyes Waspsting - golden-furred she-cat Clovertuft - gray tortoiseshell tom Apprentice: Bluepaw - large brown tom with blue eyes Whitescar - scarred non-binary cat with white fur Apprentice: Echopaw - white and black patched she-cat Oakfeather - handsome light brown tom Queens and kits: Robinflight, mother to Dustkit, Mousekit, and Patchkit Moonfall, mother to Adderkit and Snowkit Icepool Eaglefoot Elders: Raincall Silvermoon And insert insignificant characters here Part One: Scarlet Storms Prologue Oakfeather dashed through the torrential rain. His ear stung. His vision was swimming crimson. Just follow the path ahead of you. You’ll make it if you just keep going. A clap of lighting, then thunder’s dreadful boom. Shivers went up Oakfeather’s spine. His leg gave out with a pang. No... no, not like this. A light patter of paw steps, soft as a light shower, resounded around him. ”Well, little Oak. Seems that I’ve found you at last.” Oakfeather exhaled painfully. ”You’ll never get away with it.” Please, StarClan. I don’t want to die! Not like this... ”Oh, ''my sweet little Oak. I think I already have.“ A small chuckle. “Always so curious. To think I would have let you live. If only you hadn‘t pursued... you’d be sitting in your den, Clovertuft by your side. Imagine his face when he and Ebonytuft find your body in the morning, all rain-soaked and bloody. What an awful tragedy... badgers are so aggressive this season.” ”Leave them out if it. They’ve done nothing wrong.” ''Sigh. ''“Oh, my little Oak. Just like your mother. Curiosity has killed the mouse yet again. Makes me sad, really...” ''No! No! Not like this... Not like this... Chapter One The marsh sprang with life. The ground was generally boggy, but much of the mud had subsided in the recent moon. The leafy canopy cast shadows over the ground, the dark negative to the sunny sky. Peace is evident, but nothing further then a canvas for this story. This is not often a happy story. You have been warned. A young warrior by the name of Oakfeather wandered through said marsh, stalking an especially fat hare. He had chased it all the way from the forest with the hope that the murky limbs of the marsh would slow it down enough. He was ready to lunge whenever. One stumble and he was ready. Crunch! ''The hare went limp in his jaws. It was a good clean catch, yet a little bit of blood spilled onto the ground. He sighed, picking it up to take it back to camp. Despite the bright sky, the air around camp was a little somber. Heather bushes parted to find a mass of brambles and bracken, shaped into protective dens. Cats of many ages sat, chatting or in silence. Their leader Lightningstar has passed away after a long, hard illness. She was an old cat, but it was still sad for many. "Oakfeather!" A voice called from far off. Oakfeather turned to see a coal-black tom making his way towards him. "Hey, Oak, buddy. How's the hunt?" Oakfeather was a light brown tom with piercing green eyes. As a kit he was told how handsome he was, and he still had a small ego. He was known in the clan as easy-going and talkative, occasionally even suave. He had earned his warrior name less than a moon and a half previous, and was already a renowned hunter. Warrior, not so much. He had never been in a fight before, but oh, how he dreamed. ”Oh, Blazefall! Hi!“ Blazefall, the black to, smiled wide. ”You been out today?” ”Not yet. Still trying to sort things out after... you know...” Oakfeather winced. He momentarily forgot that Blazefall had just lost his mother ''and ''leader. After losing both his parents at a young age, Oakfeather knew the feeling. Blazefall and his siblings had been raised alongside his mother, so Blazefall always felt a bit like an uncle to him. “What’s the verdict?” ”Same quandary. Things are... clashing, and not well. You know my siblings. Mistsong and her peace, Hawkgrasp and... whatever she wants, I’m not sure. I hate to say it, but I don’t think either could lead the clan to prosper. Gosh, siblings.” “Right, right.“ Oakfeather personally would die to have a brother or sister (or mother, or father) but he didn’t want to say that. ”Blazefall!“ A strained voice called. “Get over here!” Blazefall sighed. “Gotta go. Silverfire’s calling me. Ack, she’s so biased towards my sisters it’s crazy.“ He rolled his eyes. “Nice talking to you.“ ”Good lu-“ Oakfeather started as Blazefall bounded over to the old medicine cat. Silverfire was ''old, ''bordering on ancient. She was avoided by kits and elders alike. Her temper was possibly the scariest thing Oakfeather had seen. To incur her wrath was definitely not advisable. Oakfeather faintly heard Blazefall muttering, “Blazestar, Blazestar. Sounds cool. Yeah. Right.” Chapter Two Echopaw gritted her teeth. Battle training happened every morning, and she was caught in a bitter rivalry with Bluepaw. The older apprentice had recently beaten her two times in a row. It was time to put an end to his streak. Her mentor, Whitescar, watched without emotion. They had gotten the scars that gave them their name in the same training, and clearly disapproved of the tactics they were taught. Whitescar couldn’t understand her rivalry at all. ''Blah blah blah, caution, blah. “You can’t be so cavalier about a serious topic. You’re just an apprentice. Be cautious.” ''Yawn, boring. ”Remember, Bluepaw!” Clovertuft, his mentor, called. “Duck and sweep, go for the legs.” Whitescar’s face clearly read, ‘if you get hurt I’m not gonna be the one telling your mother. Just saying.’ “Okay, everyone ready?” Clovertuft smiled. “Good luck, both opponents.” —- Echopaw sighed. Her paws hurt. Her eye stung. Another humiliating defeat. Whitescar seemed to pity her slightly, so they offered to take her hunting. She said yes almost forlornly. She was a good hunter, but Bluepaw was better. It was a pretty day. The sun was shining. Leaves crunched under her feet as she trotted through the forest, listening keenly. Not many were out hunting. The whole clan was so engaged in the anarchy thing... I mean, couldn’t they just take a vote? Echopaw was indifferent about this. None of them had a very good campaign. Mistsong did a nice job selling it, but her actual ideals weren't all that beneficial. Blazefall was much too aggressive. Hawkgrasp was just plain uncommitted. At least the others were trying. A mouse skittered past. It seemed too skinny, so Echopaw ignored it. In a way, she sympathized. No one was going to catch that mouse. There were too many good ones out there, and it was just... average. ''Sorry, little mouse. —- Two sparrows and a frog later, Echopaw headed back to camp. The purple heather was illuminated by the sun’s joyful beams. Bluepaw’s indigo eyes were scintillating as he showed off to some of the kits. She could just hear his smooth, coy voice. “Sweep the leg. Here, let me show you. No, you sweep then ''pounce. Yes, pounce! Aw, very good. Yes, I am good at this, aren’t I?” She was making the last one up, but still. It made her feel like vomiting. Whitescar smiled wryly. They walked behind her, carrying two of the sparrows she caught. “Why are you stopping?” ”Er... right. Must’ve zoned out. Sorry.” After dropping her prey on the pile, Whitescar permitted her to take a break. She wandered around camp aimlessly, bored. Some of the apprentices were huddling in a circle, talking. Echopaw walked over, eager to see what they were discussing. ”He must have jumped 6 taillengths!” Coalpaw whispered vigorously. The dark apprentice had awe in their eyes. ”Then he flipped!” Deerpaw added. Were they talking about Bluepaw? Probably. The older apprentice “never ceased to shock his clan.” In Deerpaw’s own words. Echopaw rolled her eyes. She didn’t need to hear it. “Hey, Echopaw!” Coalpaw’s brother Thrushpaw turned around. “Have you heard?” Unlike the others, Thrushpaw didn’t seem to think Bluepaw was their saviour. As far as Coalpaw and Deerpaw were concerned, he should try to become leader. This might actually be interesting. “Heard what?” “There were foxes on clan territory!” Coalpaw squeaked in excitement. “Yeah, we were out patrolling and saw them.” Thrushpaw said it like it wasn‘t a big deal, but Deerpaw interrupted, “They were huge! Like badgers!” ”There were two of them, both adults!” ”We don’t kno—” Thrushpaw started, but he was cut off again. ”And Blazefall drove them off all by himself!” Coalpaw sighed. “Pretty cool, right.” Echopaw swallowed hard. “Foxes? No, not good. And in pairs?” ”Shut up. Blazefall is so cool, right!” Coalpaw sighed again. ”Um, is he okay?“ Foxes were almost as strong as badgers, and much more agile. They could tear a cat to shreds in mere seconds. ”I think he’s fine,” Thrushpaw said uncertainly. He looked slightly uncomfortable, for whatever reason. Silence. Echopaw sighed. “I think Whitescar’s calking me. See you later.” Thrushpaw turned red. “Good luck.” —- Whitescar was definitely not calling her, but she had to get away from the worshipping party. The clan seemed to buzz with contained excitement. Everyone had heard of Blazefall’s valiant deed. His popularity was increasing with each moment. Sighing, she headed to the medicine den. An almost identical cat, belly round with kits, stared at her calmly. ”Echopaw, my dear. What a surprise.” ”Mother. Hello.” Echopaw was sure to keep her tone clipped, not revealing any emotion. Silverfire walked past, tension clearly visible in her face. She seemed grumpy... as usual. ”Echopaw. Wow, what a surprise.” ''Yes, a surprise. Icepool rolled her eyes. “Yes, I was just saying. Really, you should visit your mother more often.” Icepool’s voice, normally so candid, was raspy with pain. Her kits were due any day now. Honestly, Echopaw didn’t know if she was excited or nervous. ”I can’t believe I’m doing this again.” Icepool sighed dramatically. “Silverfire, some poppy seeds, please. Ah.” Silverfire scoffed. “With your kits coming so soon? Horrible mistake, my darling, believe me.” Icepool sighed a second time. ”Fine, I’ll just have to go to sleep on my own.” She rolled over, sticking her head under her fluffy forearm. “Ebonyclaw, be a dear and massage my belly. Ah yes, that’s the spot,“ she said contentedly as the young medicine cat obliged with a scared look on her face. Icepool was feared heavily by the apprentices. Notes on Characters Just notes, please ignore * Oakfeather: intended to be sorta arrogant, egotistical but still sympathetic. I have plans hah * Echopaw: a n n o y i n g but she might grow on you (her chapters will be more than a pity party, trust me) * Ebonyclaw: mostly innocent * Clovertuft: really nice and sweet. * Whitescar: much better parent/friend than Echopaw ever had * Hawkgrasp: ooooooohhhh what’s she doing?? * Blazefall: complicated character. Aggressive yet trying to do the best he can * Mistsong: maybe put in a wrong situation, trying to make the best of it * Thrushpaw: aw, he’s sweet and sometimes awkward. poor dude can’t fight to save his life * Bluepaw: honestly not that bad Songs for Plot If this was a musical, the characters would be singing these. (Psst! When the story gets depressing, read this!) * Oakfeather sings Barbie Girl some song about how perfect everything is (Chapter One) *Echopaw sings “Waving through a Window“ (Chapter Two) *Echopaw and Thrushpaw sing “Helpless” *Blazefall and Waspsting sing “Cold as Ice” *Hawkgrasp, Blazefall, and Mistsong sing “Everybody wants to Rule the World” *Whitescar sings “History Has It‘s Eyes On You” to Echopaw *The whole cast sings “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” (finale) WiP Category:Warriors Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)